Neetu Badhan Smith Explained

Neetu Badhan Smith
Office2:	Los Angeles County Superior Court
Term Start2:	2017
Birth Place:	Sacramento, California, United States

Neetu Badhan Smith is the first Sikh woman judge in the United States.^[1] Badhan Smith is a judge for the Los Angeles County Superior Court of California.^[2] She was appointed to the bench by former Governor Jerry Brown in 2017.^{[3] [4]}

Biography

She was born into an immigrant Ravidasia Sikh^[5] family in California. Badhan-Smith earned a Juris Doctor degree from Southwestern Law School and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Los Angeles.^[3] Prior to her appointment to the Superior Court, she had served as a deputy public defender at the Los Angeles County Public Defender's Office since 2004. She was an attorney at the Southern California Housing Rights Centre from 2003 to 2004.^[6]

She is inspired by Indian jurist Dr. Ambedkar and his movement against casteism.^[7]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Two Indian-American attorneys appointed to Superior Court. Ritu. Jha. IndiaAbroad.com.
2. Web site: Hate crime charges dropped against man who attacked Filipino family in Hollywood. Yahoo News. April 20, 2023 .
3. Web site: Governor Brown Appoints Nine to Los Angeles County Superior Court | Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr.. www.ca.gov.
4. Web site: Ex-NFL player and Harvard-Westlake alumnus pleads not guilty to charges of making criminal threats. March 21, 2018. Los Angeles Times.
5. Web site: Dr. Ambedkar International Symposium on Emancipation and Equality Day celebrations in Vancouver . April 5, 2023 .
6. Web site: Judge Neetu S. Badhan-Smith. Trellis.
7. Web site: Dr. Ambedkar International Symposium on Emancipation and Equality Day celebrations in Vancouver. posted by: Rattan. Mall. April 5, 2023.